John Merrill Knapp (1914-1993) was an active music educator, editor, and writer, primarily in the area of opera and the works of Handel. Throughout his career he served as Chairman of the Department of Music at Princeton University, as well as Dean of the college. His collection consists primarily of professional correspondence and writings, specifically relating to his manuscript Handels Later Operas. Other materials include General professional writings, ephemera, two floppy disks, and photocopied scores related to Knapps work as an educator, editor, and writer.

Important Information for Users of the Collection

Restrictions:

There are no restricted files in this collection.

Preferred citation:

John Merrill Knapp Papers, Special Collections, University of Maryland Libraries.

Materials from this collection must be used in the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library's Irving and Margery Morgan Lowens Special Collections Room, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. Please make an appointment with the curator: Vincent J. Novara Tel: 301.405.9220, Email: vnovara@umd.edu

Status:

This collection is PROCESSED.

Historical Note

John Merrill Knapp (1914-1993) is most widely known for his accomplishments as an educator, editor, and writer. He received his undergraduate degree from Yale University in the mid-1930 and then briefly taught history in California. After earning his masters degree at Columbia University, Knapp served four years in the Navy during World War II. He returned to Princeton as assistant director of the glee club and was appointed chairman of the Department of Music in 1949. In 1953, Knapp became an assistant professor and was promoted to a full professor in 1963. He served as dean of the college from 1961 to 1966. Knapps main musical interests included 16th century instrumental music and 18th century music, especially opera and the works of Handel. Knapps literary contributions include The Magic of Opera (1972), Handels Operas 1704-1726 (co-edited with Winton Dean, 1987), the editing of two volumes of Handels complete works, and several other books on opera and vocal work.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The J. Merrill Knapp Papers covers the period from 1953 to 1995, with the bulk of the materials being from 1979 to 1991. The collection consists of both professional correspondence as well as correspondence pertaining to Knapps writings, specifically the manuscript Handels Later Operas. Other materials include General professional writings, ephemera, two floppy disks, and photocopied scores related to Knapps work as an educator, editor, and writer.

Custodial History and Acquisition Information

These papers were presumably delivered from Howard Serwer of the American Handel Society to SCPA in July, 1998 and given the accession number 99-57-PAL.

Processing Information

Processed by:

Processed by Stephanie Schmitz and Bonnie Jo Depp, February 2005

Encoded by:

EAD markup created using EAD database in Microsoft Access. Markup completed by Nicole Horstman, June 2013.

Detailed Description of the Collection

Series 1: Floppy Disks, undated (1 folder)

This series contains two 3.5 inch floppy disks formatted for MAC which contain an inventory of Knapps office, an inventory of microfilms, and chapters of his proposed book, Handels Later Operas.

The box inventory for this series is not currently available online. Please refer to the series description above for a broad description of the materials or contact the department for more information.

Series 2: Writings, 1953-1993 and undated (3.50 linear feet)

This series includes drafts of Knapps proposed book, Handels Later Operas (1726-1741), notes and correspondence related to the writing of the work, related articles, and two copies of a working manuscript, which are presumably the latest versions submitted by Knapp. It is divided into five subseries.

The box inventory for this series is not currently available online. Please refer to the series description above for a broad description of the materials or contact the department for more information.

This subseries includes drafts of chapters, including notes, correspondence, and articles pertaining to Knapps proposed book.

The box inventory for this subseries is not currently available online.
Please refer to the subseries description above for a broad description
of the materials or contact the department for more information.

This subseries contains notes of the organization of the proposed work.

The box inventory for this subseries is not currently available online.
Please refer to the subseries description above for a broad description
of the materials or contact the department for more information.

The box inventory for this subseries is not currently available online.
Please refer to the subseries description above for a broad description
of the materials or contact the department for more information.

Subseries 2.4: Items returned from Princeton University Press, 1993 and undated (2 folders)

The box inventory for this subseries is not currently available online.
Please refer to the subseries description above for a broad description
of the materials or contact the department for more information.

This subseries contains the working manuscript of Handels Later Operas (1726-1741), with an Introduction by Alfred Mann.

The box inventory for this subseries is not currently available online.
Please refer to the subseries description above for a broad description
of the materials or contact the department for more information.

Series 3: Correspondence, 1979-1993 (6 folders)

This series consists of the Merrill Knapps correspondence which relates to the composition of his proposed work, Handels Later Operas. It is divided into five subseries, each arranged chronologically.

The box inventory for this series is not currently available online. Please refer to the series description above for a broad description of the materials or contact the department for more information.

Subseries 3.1: Correspondence between Knapp and those affiliated with the Knapp-Dean co-authorship, 1985-1988 (1 folder)

The box inventory for this subseries is not currently available online.
Please refer to the subseries description above for a broad description
of the materials or contact the department for more information.

The box inventory for this subseries is not currently available online.
Please refer to the subseries description above for a broad description
of the materials or contact the department for more information.

The box inventory for this subseries is not currently available online.
Please refer to the subseries description above for a broad description
of the materials or contact the department for more information.

The box inventory for this subseries is not currently available online.
Please refer to the subseries description above for a broad description
of the materials or contact the department for more information.

The box inventory for this subseries is not currently available online.
Please refer to the subseries description above for a broad description
of the materials or contact the department for more information.

The box inventory for this subseries is not currently available online.
Please refer to the subseries description above for a broad description
of the materials or contact the department for more information.

Series 4: Graphoanalysis, January 30, 1985 (1 folder)

Contains a graphoanalysis of Handels handwriting that was performed by Evelyn Matlin. The graphoanalysis was commissioned by Mr. David S. Edelberg of Airtek, Ltd. on January 30, 1985.

The box inventory for this series is not currently available online. Please refer to the series description above for a broad description of the materials or contact the department for more information.

Series 5: Ephemera, 1981-1985 (1 folder)

This includes dinner invitations, ticket stubs, clippings, and brochures. These documents are presumed to be related to the Handel Tercentenary Festival, which took place in London, England July 12-28, 1985.

The box inventory for this series is not currently available online. Please refer to the series description above for a broad description of the materials or contact the department for more information.

Series 6: General Professional Correspondence and Writings, 1934-1995 and undated (.50 linear feet and 2 items)

This series consists of papers from Knapps career that are not directly related to his proposed work, Handels Later Operas. Included are documents about Handel festivals, conferences, and professional societies. The organization within this series comes largely from how Knapp labeled the folders which contained his papers. Those folders which do not contain the labeling originally created by Knapp have been formed into separate subseries. The contents of the folders are arranged chronologically when applicable.

The box inventory for this series is not currently available online. Please refer to the series description above for a broad description of the materials or contact the department for more information.

Knapps personal arrangement of his papers, as they were found in individually labeled folders. Folders are in alphabetical order and the contents are arranged chronologically.

The box inventory for this subseries is not currently available online.
Please refer to the subseries description above for a broad description
of the materials or contact the department for more information.

Subseries 6.2: Other writings/articles, 1959-1988 (1 folder)

Other writings/articles. This series contains Knapps published and unpublished articles (in either English or German), a book review with related correspondence, and articles by Paul Henry Lang and John Loftis.

The box inventory for this subseries is not currently available online.
Please refer to the subseries description above for a broad description
of the materials or contact the department for more information.

Subseries 6.3: Professional Correspondence, 1984-1995 (1 folder)

This subseries contains professional correspondence from 1984 to1995 that does not fit into a specified subject/topic area. Correspondents include Reinhard Strohm, Alfred Mann, and others with unidentifiable signatures.

The box inventory for this subseries is not currently available online.
Please refer to the subseries description above for a broad description
of the materials or contact the department for more information.

Subseries 6.4: Gttinger Handel Festivals, 1934-1940 (1 folder)

This series comprises serial publications and programs for the Gttinger Handel Festivals.

The box inventory for this subseries is not currently available online.
Please refer to the subseries description above for a broad description
of the materials or contact the department for more information.

Subseries 6.5: Photographs, 1964-1990 (1 folder)

This series contains photographic material from scholarly events, and one personal family photo.

The box inventory for this subseries is not currently available online.
Please refer to the subseries description above for a broad description
of the materials or contact the department for more information.

Subseries 6.6: Ephemera, undated (2 items)

This series contains two artifacts, a coin from a purported music shoppe, and a Seal of Handel, which is imprinted with the figure of Handels head.

The box inventory for this subseries is not currently available online.
Please refer to the subseries description above for a broad description
of the materials or contact the department for more information.

Series 7: Scores, undated (2 items)

This series contains two scores: one large photocopy from the British Museum (untitled) and one large photocopy of Amadigi di Guala OPERA (ca. 1715).

The box inventory for this series is not currently available online. Please refer to the series description above for a broad description of the materials or contact the department for more information.

Related Material

For other related archival and manuscript collections, please see the following subject guides.